Mauritius: Africa’s Sugar Jewel Island in the Indian Ocean

This tiny island nation encompassed by beautiful coral reef spans a not so vast expanse of 800 sq. miles, but is home to over 1.3 million multiracial inhabitants. The people are religiously and ethnically diverse, with various ancestries such as Chinese, African, Indian, and French.

Ever since this beautiful country situated in the middle of the turquoise Indian Ocean gained independence in the year 1968, it has, on a regular basis, conducted free and fair elections that have seen peaceful transitions of power, unlike most typical African nations.

As expected, the long history of peace and political stability has immensely contributed to the development of the country. Also endowed with a transparent regulatory system, as well as a track record of good governance, it is acclaimed as one of Africa’s success stories and has overtaken other African giants such as South Africa, the oil-rich Nigeria, and a host of others to become the most competitive economy on the continent.

Sugar-driven Statistics

The Mauritian economy has consistently recorded an annual growth rate of over 3 per cent with a 2015 estimations showing a significant surge from 3.5 per cent recorded in 2014 to a 4.1 per cent in 2015. Acclaimed as the best business environment in Africa by the World Bank, elevating its rank to ‘number one’ in the continent for ease of doing business.

With over half of its landmass arable, the green sugarcane fields also form a beautiful scenery alongside the volcanic mountains, lagoons, cobalt-blue seas, and beaches fringed by palm trees, alluring almost one million visitors annually. Sugarcane occupies almost 90 per cent of its entire cultivated land and is the prime export crop.

The recent diversification of its economy has seen the production of diamond, jewellery and wristwatches jointly making up a good percentage of its foreign exports, contributing over $150 million to its GDP. Be that as it may, tourism and finance remain major sectors sustaining the economy.